SIA 2013 from Denver: Friday Recap

Day Two from the SIA Trade Show in downtown Denver lived up to its billing. OnTheSnow moved from brand to brand, softgoods to ski companies, non-profits to snowboard companies. Every booth we visited had some exciting new announcement moving into the 2013/2014 season. Check out the recap from Day Two at SIA.

Arc'teryx:

Arc'teryx had some exciting products lined up including the Theta SVX, an expedition, one quiver jacket that features GORE-TEX® Brand Pro. The Cerium AR hoody is a 750-fill down jacket with strategically placed synthetics located in places that need breathability, the Night Hawk color scheme is wild to say the least. For those headed into the backcountry, check out the Khamski pack, a ski touring, waterproof pack featuring a large outside pocket with an aluminum frame that is also really light despite being 48L.

Salomon Soft Goods

The Salomon X-Tend goggle claims to be the best in-class in terms of field of vision with a custom frame suspension system for better fit and venting and their XMax goggle features the same technology but with a quick change, interchangeable lens system. With the sudden influx of backcountry skiers, Salomon had introduced the Quest 20 ABS pack, a lightweight pack that can be paired with an ABS airbag system.

SmartWool

Smartwool's ski compression ultra light sock features a 4 degree elite system with four bands and mesh for breathability. Their Wind Zip Tee has a nylon front baselayer with merino found everywhere else. The PhD High Fi is a midweight baselayer with nylon face and merino back.

Bollé

Bollé's Emperor goggle features a ton of cushion with optimal air flow and a really cool Green Emerald lens color. The athlete collection features signature goggles from Bollé athletes like Lindsey Jacobellis and Seth Wescott, with a photochromatic modulator lens. They also have a new Sharp Helmet with adjustable venting, click to fit that is also ultra lightweight. The Ozmoz is their fully integrated google/helmet combinatino, with streamlined built-in goggles and interchangeable lenses.

Marmot gave us the run-down on their Isotherm Jacket, featuring Polartec Alpha, that's insulated without sacrificing breathability. Their Big Mountain Jacket features a Fusion Dry Marmot Membrane for greater moisture management. The Sky Pilot Jacket has a waterproof zip pocket for smartphone storage, Thermal R styling and a classic style. The Marmot travel pack, the Transhauler, has 420 denier ballistics cloth and opens in a D Shape, allowing the user to pack it like they would a suitcase. It also has a laptop sleeve capable of holding a 17" laptop.

POC

POC's Retina Big goggles feature a giant field of vision. The goggles are super flexible and durable, thanks to high quality lens and frame technology. They provide more comfort without the chance of cracking. The Fornix Backcountry helmet had MIPS technology, allowing the inner shell to move freely and cut down on concussions.

OR

Outdoor Research's Vanguard collection pants feature a beacon holder, so the skier/snowboarder doesn't have to strap their beacon to their chest, as well as a zip-off bib. The Valhalla Jacket is for those backcountry skiers that occasionally ski inbounds. It has a resort-influenced cut (baggier), with torso-flow ventilation from hip to pit zips. The Storm Bound Mitt has a layer of Primaloft®, layer of down and another layer of Primaloft®, making it really warm with interior fingers for dexterity.

POW (Protect Our Winters)

We also met with Protect Our Winters, to get the inside scoop on some of their new inititiaves for the coming year. After bringing their concerns to Washington last year, POW was told that although climate change is a big problem, Washington needed to have some of the potential economic impacts of Climate Change in order to do anything about it. Well, POW did their homework, crunched the numbers and came up with some staggering statistics. The job loss and economic impact on the ski and winter tourism industry has the potential to be devasting and so POW has put together their Shred Washington petition; POW hopes to have the entire ski industry sign this petition and hand it to the folks in Washington with the hopes of opening some eyes.

On a lighter note, as the second day of SIA came to a close, your weary author ventured to the G3 skis booth to get the rundown on their newest products, and after entering their raffle at the last second, won a pair of G3 Carbon GenOxide Skis. SIA has been a blast. Check back next week for more highlights from the SIA Show.